Here's some courses I've come across online, which might be helpful to many. A couple of these, also offer free college-level curriculums and ala carte courses, across general liberal arts, to specialized disciplines in the Sciences, Arts, Psychology and more.
Jeff Carver's Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
DIY / Go-at-your-own pace. No sign-up needed. It does have some pop-up windows containing additional point clarifications/tips, etc (no advertisements, though), so be sure you let those through, if you have a blocker on.
"Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our World." @ Coursera.org
https://www.coursera.org/course/fantasysf
Registration required. These classes run on an actual schedule, in terms of start date and assignment due dates, but you complete them on your own time (you don't have to log in at a particular time, as you would with a regular online class). You can earn a certificate of completion at the end. Coursera's courses are taught by actual professors from great universities, around the world. The required books, for this particular course, are mostly classics, which are available online for free (such as via the University of Adelaide's eBook library). Others can be found for cheap at Amazon, if you don't have them. If you miss registration for the current course, keep an eye out. Coursera's courses tend to reappear for new sessions, depending on the professor's schedule.
Some other courses which might help you:
Steven Barnes Lifewriting
http://www.lifewrite.com/html/class.htm
This has been posted at BSFS, also. It's a modified version of the 9-week course which Mr. Barnes taught at UCLA. No registration required.
Saylor.org
This is a free online university, with all course materials easily accessible online. This is a DIY / Go-at-your-own-pace situation. While the credits are not transferable to most schools, you can earn certificates, and the quality of the education is good - courses are often vetted via peer review by professors at known schools, and industry specialists. (However, as of 2012, they were working on a method by which you could pay to test out of subjects, for traditional credit to use at other schools - which could save you or a loved one a lot of money at a 2 or 4-year university, if it happens). You can take individual ala carte classes, or if you choose, adhere to a 4-year college type curriculum (option to choose a major and/or a minor). Here, you will find an English Literature major, courses in African History and art, Sciences, and much much more. Registration is not required, but helpful, if you're taking many courses at once - it gives you an online portfolio, you can use to schedule classes and keep track of your self-directed progress.
Writers Village University
This one isn't free. However, it's reasonably priced, for what it offers. $99 first year, $69 (?) each renewal, gets you unrestricted access to over 300 writing courses, including topics in Science Fiction and Fantasy, most other major genres, and technical stuff (punctuation, grammar, character development, etc). Lot of peer learning, with some facilitators leading some courses. Instructor/Peer classes run on a rotating schedule... however, they also have an archive, where you can access any course 24/7, to go 100% at your own pace.
I've used everything listed... so let me know if you need help finding your way around. Have fun. Get your Learning on!
- Jammes
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